Fourth Quarter Takeover

Imagine starting off strong & ending even stronger. Well, that’s what the Chicago Bulls did & guess what? They snagged a win. I’ve been emphasizing from the first game of the season how important it is to start the games off aggressively so that there isn’t a hole they’re stuck in. Now this was especially important against an elite offensive team in the Brooklyn Nets carried by the unguardable, Kevin Durant. It was one of the more exciting games of the season as both teams had relatively large leads & played great offense. On a night where the Chicago Bulls & the Chicago Bears were playing, it was nice to have at least one Chicago team come out on top. Let’s proceed to my thoughts on this game.

It was good to see Zach Lavine start off on fire & get to his spots; with Joe Harris guarding him, he had no choice but to attack. Aside from Zach, the entire team was playing well & aggressive, getting a majority of their points inside the paint. The Bulls also outrebounded the Nets 17-7 in the first quarter allowing them to lead the Nets 35-27 at the end of the opening quarter. Then came a slower second quarter, a quarter where the Bulls were outscored by 14 points. The Bulls offense looked very iso-heavy & stagnant—something we see practically every game. The second quarter slowdown was also attributed to the poor bench play once again with LaMarcus Aldridge torching the Bulls in the first half with 15 points & drawing a couple fouls that frankly shouldn’t have been called. With the Nets bench outscoring the Bulls in the first half 22-9, it was good to see the bench rally in the second half to end up with 33 points. Vooch seemed to struggle once again in a matchup that was favorable for him; Blake Griffin in no means is a great defender & Vooch should’ve taken advantage. He tried but his early season slump is continuing by missing a couple very easy shots. Vooch did gain his confidence later on by hitting big shots in the fourth & making a couple crucial passes.

The third quarter was a lot of back & forth with the Bulls only trailing by a couple. Then the fourth quarter is where the reserves simply took over the game. Ayo Dsonmu played exceptional basketball & as always, Alex Caruso played intense defense on Harden & gutsy hustle plays throughout. The defensive intensity was absurd only because they held an elite Brooklyn offense to only 17 points in the first although Steve Nash’s rotations looked a little sketch. The Bulls offensive aggressiveness was evident too as they got into the bonus early in the fourth & kept their foot on the pedal. DeMar, of course, led the Bulls again in the fourth with 10 points & getting to the line consistently. Lavine & DDR have proven to be a deadly fourth quarter duo as they lead the league in points scored in the fourth. I would like to get into the officiating but it’s pointless. They were very uneven & let Brooklyn get away with quite a bit so it was good to see the Bulls not argue & just play their game. Looked like Billy Donovan made good adjustments & the rotations were great; more of DJJ & Tony Bradley Jr being played is always a welcome sight.

I predicted the Bulls to steal a win & they did. Playing smart, team basketball is what the Bulls need with a steady offensive attack. The defense is what puts the Bulls over the top; holding their now 4th opponent to under 100 points is a beauty. I hope the Bulls continue their exceptional play into their game tonight against the Dallas Mavericks. A team with a superstar in Luka Doncic & great role players like Tim Hardaway Jr & Kristap Porzingis, they are a great team. With a new coach in town, they look pretty good sitting at the same record as the Bulls at 7-3. Another matchup that Vooch can exploit, I expect him to come out tonight & have his best game of the season. The Bulls just need to play aggressive defense against Luka & Hardaway Jr to slow them, something I’m not necessarily concerned about. Caruso & Lonzo have done exceptional jobs guarding elite guards/forwards throughout the season & it should continue tonight. As long as the Bulls play good defense & get some scoring off the bench, they’ll be just fine. The Bulls should win this game at home, an atmosphere that seems euphoric.